About Bat Houses

Bat flats, shacks or rockets should be mounted so the entrance is at least 15 feet above the ground. They should be set so they get morning sun in an open woodland setting. If setting a flat on the gable end of a house or barn it should face southeast. Most houses used by bats are occupied in the first 1 to 6 months (during the first summer the house was erected). If bats do not roost in your house by the end of the second summer then move it to a new location. Bats will come to a house set on a pole quicker than to one set on a house or tree. The bat rocket (pictured) is preferred by bats over other types of housing. Research has shown that they prefer it because of the wide range of temperatures inside the rocket. The house can be left natural or painted with a light color latex paint or stain. The pole we use is a 2 inch schedule 40 galvanized chain link fence pipe available from a companies which install commercial fencing. These poles are typically 24 feet long. This allows the pole to be set 3 to 4 feet in the ground and the entrance is still more than 15 feet off the ground.

A single chamber bat rocket (Bat Rocket) which will hold up to 600 bats. A dual chamber bat rocket (Bat Rocket II) will house up to 1,200 bats. There are holes bored between the chambers so the bats can move freely around inside. The work on developing bat rockets was done in the Pisgah National Forrest. The bat shack (Bat Shack) has 4 chambers and will hold up to 400 bats. It also has holes bored so the bats can move freely around inside. A bat flat (Bat Flat) is a 2 chamber version of the bat shack. The Bat Flat is designed to be mounted on the southeast gable of a house or barn. The bat flat is the house most people are familiar with. Ours is built wider with a deeper landing area to attract bats quicker.

All of our bat houses are constructed of knot free heart cypress ¾ inches thick. The bat flats and shacks have a piece of ½ inch marine plywood as a divider in addition to the cypress. All boards are grooved to provide foot holds for the bats. Copper roofs can be installed on all bat houses to extend their life.